


Lucifer

by yourbasicbitchsusan



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Michael, Death, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Religious Content, Sad, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry, Temporary Character Death, Top Luke, minor cashton, muke au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-06-21 17:05:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15562425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourbasicbitchsusan/pseuds/yourbasicbitchsusan
Summary: ❝Hey, I'd like to sell my soul to you in return for being Lucifer's friend... You know, the devil.❞❝Run that by me again, sugar?❞-or the one where Michael sells his soul to a demon to be Lucifer's friend until his time is up.





	1. ONE

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, beauties!  
> I've been wanting to post the fic idea for ages, I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it  
> xx, B

The box was set correctly according to every professor, every believer of the unknown and every supernatural episode Michael had ever come across; the herbs and old animal bones surrounding the small box which inside contained his most prized possession and a specific kind of flower: the yarrow. He really hoped this would work and that he wasn't being played. This was his last chance to feel  _happy_ , his chance to do something worthwhile in his life.

Alas, few minutes passed and here Michael was, standing in the middle of a dark crossroad which was next to an abandoned stable alone. He cursed and put his hands in his head and made a silent plea,  _please_.

His voice came out shaky, and anyone listening would probably be laughing at his nervousness, "Um, hello? I did the thing right." Michael's hands were shaky and he resorted to a constant habit he practiced when his emotions were high: playing with his rings.

"Well, you look delicious."

Like a frightened cat, Michael jumped so far in the air he would've impressed his previous Gym teachers. The woman was so close, he could feel her warm breath on his neck; slow, patient. Deadly. He turned around and tried to calm himself, in front of him was a female who couldn't be older than twenty five. She had long brown hair and a smile that could either save humanity or end it. "Are you... who I'm looking for?" Michael whispered, his voice barely audible over his shaking breaths.

The woman's eye glinted, and a smirk played across her lips. She terrified him and excited him all at the same time, "Depends, Michael. Who are you looking for?" Her head cocked to the side and Michael was terrified, terrified that she couldn't help him.

"S-Someone to make a deal with." He stuttered, his palms sweating more profusely than before. There was no one in sight, which primarily was ideal but now Michael was starting to slightly regret that decision.

"Do I make you nervous?"

Releasing a breath slowly, he met her eyes and tried to relax. "A little," he admitted.

She was in a gorgeous dress, diamonds embedded in the pattern which gleamed brightly enough for the onlooker to assume they were real. The woman pursed her lips and slowly walked around him, eyeing him up like prey. "What do you want, cutie? Fame, money, talent?"

"Uh, actually-"

She cut him off loudly, smiling at him mischievously, "No! Don't tell me, you want smarts. Little academic boost?"

Michael frowned, "No."

Her smile only widened, clearly amused. Wetting her lips with her tongue and then winking at him, she waved her hand dismissively, "Hmm, fine. I give. What would you like?"

His body went rigid, Michael wasn't sure how to ask for something this complex, the pressure was on and he'd imagine it wasn't something an every day human would ask for. The thought of him leaving with nothing frightened the boy beyond belief.

Michael spent to long working how to word his request and the woman's face turned from amused into a sneer. It was unflattering, but her voice came out harsher than he intended, "Spit it out, this body isn't made for standing." Her eyes were an angry, dark shade that was so unsettling Michael didn't even think before blurting his next sentence out, "I'd like to sell my soul to you in return for being Lucifer's friend."

He hated asking questions to anyone, but asking a supposed demon about a matter like this? It was one of the longest awaited answers of his life because the woman was just staring at him blankly as if she hadn't heard him at all.

Michael decided to speak up again, "You know, the devil?"

"Run that by me again, sugar?"

The sentence was spoken so softly that he wasn't sure if he'd heard her right. The sentence itself sounded playful, amused but her voice... her voice came out dangerous, warning him to dare to speak. Luckily, Michael's life couldn't get any worse at this point so he decided to ignore it and provoke the murderous demon, "I want to be Lucifer's friend." He said in a way that the boy hoped oozed with confidence.

"Please tell me you're joking."

_Don't panic._  "Uh, no?"

Then, as if someone had flicked a switch, the demon burst out in a fit of giggles. Her entire body was shaking with laughter and she was having trouble standing up straight, "You want to be friends with Lucifer? You w-want to sell your soul to be friends?" She wheezed, clutching her stomach.

Unease settled into his stomach, making Michael feel like throwing up, "That's correct."

The woman wiped imaginary tears from her eyes and composed herself, but a smile still played at her lips, "No can do."

See, at this point. Michael figured he'd probably die anyway, so he began to open his mouth and out spilled the words, "Then I'd like to speak to somebody who 'can do'. I'm going to make this deal."

The diamond-covered demon in front of him started shaking with silent laughter, but it was short lived as she pursed her red lips in a smile and winked at him, causing his entire body to freeze in fear, anticipating the worst.  _Fuck._

"Ooh, okay. I get you. I'll be right back."

Before Michael could comprehend her words, she was gone; gone as if she was never here in the first place, no trace of the woman left behind.

She was gone for so long, Michael's unease and disappoint grew as his confidence and hope shrank. He needed this, he needed Lucifer. He just hoped to God, some miracle would happen.

"Back!"

Michael blinked at the woman in front of him, her outfit was completely different but she still had the same horrifying glint in her eye and the same twisted smile. Instead of a luxurious dress, the demon was in a completely black suit that reeked of elegance. Frowning, the boy looked up from where he sat on the gravel towards her face, "You took four hours."

The demon rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I had to talk to a lot of higher ups about this, you know? You're lucky Lucifer finds your deal intriguing."

Michael bolted to his feet, his mouth hanging open in excitement, surprise and awe. His mouth attempted to find words but all that came out were embarrassing high pitched squeaks that he quickly put a stop to when he saw the demon's patronizing stare.

Her deep brown eyes flickered to Michael's lips and then back up to his eyes with her stupid, constant smirk, "So... we got a deal?"

Snapped out of his trance, the boy nodded eagerly, holding out his hand in glee, "You bet."

The woman stared at his hand and cocked her head to the side, eyeing it curiously and shaking her head firmly. "Need to lock lips to lock the deal, baby boy." Her smile was spreading as she realized Michael's discomfort in the situation.

Michael's brows furrowed together as he took in what she said, "Wait, as in kiss?"

She answered him with a smile and Michael shook his head to the side rapidly, his disgust growing involuntarily as he thought of kissing a female, demon or not. "Sorry, Miss Demon. I'm gay." His hands were up in the air in surrender, shrugging as if to say 'what can you do'?"

Her eyebrow raised at him in disbelief and she had humor to her tone as she replied to him, not fazed in the slightest. "My name isn't 'Miss Demon', it's Mali. And great, I'm asexual! I'm glad we've got that sorted. Still need to kiss me." She pointed to her lips and laughed when Michael paled.

When he still didn't make a move towards her, Mali's eyes actually seemed to soften slightly as she looked down towards the floor, "It's the only way to seal the deal, you want to be Lucifer's friend you need to kiss me."

Swallowing down his displeasure, he leaned forward and tightly shut his eyes picturing the image of Chris Hemsworth shirtless in his mind as he felt lips come in contact with his own for approximately five seconds until they left and he opened his eyes. Mali was still standing there, and she was wiping her lips on the back of her hand. When she finished, her face brightened and she tilted her head and gave Michael an award-winning smile, "Was pleasure doing business with you, Michael. Calum should be with you shortly."

Then she was gone again, leaving Michael stranded in the middle of a crossroad, not fully realizing how much his life would change for the better.


	2. TWO

To say Michael was stressed was an understatement.

 

All he’d been doing since Mali’s visit two weeks ago was eating redskins and re-watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. Two weeks ago he thought he’d be partying it up with Satan or whatever he did in his spare time; instead Michael was getting angry at the fact that Katya lost  _ again _ . None of it was fair.

 

The season finale came to an end and Michael grumbled lamely into his pillow, what was he supposed to do now? Did he get pranked? Did Mali even make the deal?

 

“You think too loud.”

 

Whenever Michael tells people this story in the future, he always leaves out the part where he practically peed his pants and spilt stale potato chips all over his carpet floor when he was surprised from behind in his apartment. After the human composed himself, he awkwardly turned around and was both pleased and startled to see a very handsome, tanned boy towering over him.

 

“Hi,” he squeaked. Stumbling over as he tried to get up, Michael held out his hand shyly to the demon.

 

In return, the demon stared at it agitatedly and grumbled out a, “Calum.”

 

Before Michael could tell Calum that they’d already met, he blacked out. Well, he thought he blacked out. It was more that he went temporarily blind and mute, he was aware of his senses. He could think, but all he saw was an infinite pool of black.  _ I think he killed me, _ Michael thought to himself. And then, just as if someone turned on a switch; colour filled his vision, he wasn’t prepared for it at all so he let out a hiss that kind of sounded like a vampire.

 

Calum was next to him, staring down at him in disapproval and annoyance, “You won’t last three days here, sunshine”

 

As Michael look around and his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. It was hard to describe where he was, it wasn’t a torture chamber filled with monsters like he’d imagined; instead it looked… ordinary. As if they had just exited his apartment. 

 

Calum rolled his eyes at the human’s fascination and pulled him to his feet, “I believe you wanted to meet someone, Michelle.” 

 

“I-It’s Michael,” the boy softly stuttered. Calum was attractive, and Michael always had a hard time talking to people in general, let alone to a beautiful demon. And while Calum didn’t seem like Michael’s supposed type - although he’d take any person at this point - Michael couldn’t deny Calum radiated the bad boy vibe, which most people seemed to swoon over, including Michael.

 

The demon rolled his eyes again, he was good at that. “Whatever, hurry up. I have more important things to do than be an usher.”

 

As they passed a large number of identical looking flats, Michael couldn’t help but fiddle with his rings. What if Lucifer didn’t like him? What if Michael ended up babbling like a complete lunatic and the devil secretly hated him for the next six months? 

 

In all honesty, Michael expected a throne with severed heads sticking out of spears, hung around the walls by humans entrails; instead Michael and Calum, side by side were looking into a normal flat. Couches, paintings and bookcases. He was trying to wrap around his head how _normal_ and _human_ everything looked, it was bizarre. 

 

Cigarette smoke filled his nostrils and Michael paled when he heard a voice behind him, chuckling darkly, “And it’s not even my birthday!”

 

x

 

Lucifer was exactly how Michael remembered. A literal embodiment of perfection. His golden curls reached the middle of his neck, framing his head in the best way unimaginably. And his  _ eyes _ , they were so luminous that the human could get himself lost in them for hours. His outfit needed some work but Michael didn’t consider that a huge issue, it was more the fact that Lucifer, the devil was in front of him for the second time.

 

Lucifer blew out a ring of smoke and used his fingers to draw shapes with it. After what felt like minutes of silence, Satan turned to the human and he smiled at him ever so faintly. Warmly. “So, you traded your soul to be my “friend” for six months, hey kid?” 

 

“I look older than you, I’m not a kid.” Michael replied back instantly, without even considering an alternative response; perhaps one that didn’t insult the devil’s  _ age. _

 

Luckily Lucifer snorted, not seeming offended. He looked him up and down, shaking his head, “You’re a kid.”

 

Calum excused himself and left the room, it was now an awkward kind of quiet. Michael didn’t like quiet, not like this. It was driving him insane; Lucifer seemed to pick up on it so he said, “Why are you so stupid, kid? You should’ve just asked for fame, babe.” He winked at Michael and the human’s cheeks instantly felt hot, the tip of his nose was a burning red and he cursed himself mentally for being such an easy blush.

 

Swallowing his anxiety, Michael replied, “Nope. I wanted this.”

 

“Whatever, it’s your funeral… literally.” On the last word the devil started cracking up, laughing at his joke like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

 

_ Change the subject from your demise _ , Michael's brain suggested. “So…” He cleared his throat, “do I call you Lucifer? Satan? The devil?”

 

He didn’t reply as quick as Michael would’ve liked, Lucifer stared at him for the longest time and it made Michael feel uneasy  _ again _ . Before Michael could say something, Lucifer pursed his lips and said lowly, “If we are to be friends, you should know my closest demons call me Luke.”

 

The human smiled at that, a full smile. “Luke? It suits you.”

 

“Thank you, Mitchell.”

 

“Michael.”

 

Luke shrugged and sucked in a drag of his cigarette, “Same difference. So what do friends do?” He said mockingly, “Want to have a pillow fight?” He blew out the smoke with a chuckle; the smoke lingered for a while, swirling through the one spot and making all kids of different patterns. Michael suspected it was Lucifer’s doing, that or Hell is more different than he thought.

 

Michael nervously giggled in response, “I don’t know, I’ve never had any friends.” His voice trailed off when he realized how pathetic it sounded, especially while talking to someone who you’ve barely met. 

 

Luke let out a barking laugh, “And you want your first friend to be the devil?” He shook his head playfully at Michael’s silence and took another drag while the upper corners of his lips twitched in amusement. “You’re freaking crazy, kid.”

 

After about ten minutes of silence, Michael said something he instantly regretted as soon as the words left his mouth, “...Want to talk about girls?”

 

Lucifer’s mouth dropped so wide his cigarette dropped out and fell in the dirt, making his frown grumpily before looking at Michael and replying, “What the fuck? Dude, I’m  _ gay _ .” He clicked his finger and another cigarette appeared in his fingertips.  _ Must be a handy trick for a smoker _ , Michael thought to himself.

 

“Oh, thank god. Me too,” Michael said easily. Girls kind of frightened him.

 

Luke sent Michael the most innocent smile he could probably could and tilted his head, “If you listen to the bible, you shouldn’t be thanking god for your gayness, babe.” His eyes flashed a little and Michael wasn’t sure if it was in sadness or amusement. He always had a hard time reading other people.

 

Then again, Lucifer wasn’t necessarily ‘people’.

 

“Tell me about your life up there.” 

 

Michael didn’t even realized what Lucifer had asked him until he replayed them a few times in his mind. After an attempt to stumble around the right words, Michael finally settled on, “My parents were dicks - you might remember them actually. The Cliffords? I was about nine-”

 

Lucifer cut him off with a deepened frown and a dark tone, “The Cliffords? They  _ were _ dicks… Those were your parents?” His cigarette was flaring up with fire, despite no igniter being near the stick. It was slightly mesmerizing to the human.

 

He swallowed, “Yep, it’s how I saw you for the first time.” He explained, fumbling with his hands again.

 

“You were that boy with the spikey hair.”

 

Michael was so startled Lucifer remembered that he had to bite down a gasp leaving his throat. Lucifer  _ remembered _ , does that mean he remembers what they spoke about? How Lucifer probably saved his life? Questions were bombarding through the boy’s head but he did his best to ignore them and continue answering him with the cliffs note version of his childhood, “Anyway,” He cleared his throat to regain his own attention span, “I was an only child - homeschooled for a bit and then bullied in high school, and I realized after a while I literally had no one. No home, family… so I-”

 

Lucifer cut him off, “-Thought, ‘Hey Lucifer seems like a nice guy-’” 

 

Michael couldn’t help grinning at him, “Shut up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love muke so much goodbye


	3. THREE

“Michael, meet Ashton. You already know Calum. They’re my demon friends.”

Neither of them seemed to overly care or take notice of Michael’s presence so the human just observed them quietly for a few moments. Calum was wearing a different outfit, a simple red jacket and a beanie which went nicely with his black skinny jeans; he looked  _good_. The demon who had been introduced as Ashton had an array of curls spilling out all over his forehead in a way that made him entire body appealing just by a few out of place strands. Calum and Ashton sat in a small rectangular table, facing each other with the utmost concentration. It only broke when Michael opened his mouth,“He-”

Ashton’s head snapped towards him so fast, Michael barely realized he had moved at all, “Before you say anything else, no I will not have sex with you. I’m taken. Also my boyfriend is off limits.” Ashton spoke lowly, glaring at Michael threateningly before turning back to his cards.

_Well, okay,_  Michael thought in silent disbelief. Awkwardly nodding before looking at his feet hurriedly. Calum on the other hand looked up and smiled in admiration, “I love you too, baby!” He said to Ashton, his cheeks showing dimples.

“Neither of you are really my type anyway,” Michael mumbled lowly. Any human wouldn’t have been able to hear him but Michael didn’t take into account the fact he was surrounded by  _demons_.

Calum frowned at Michael, “I’m not your type? I’m everyone’s type!” His once happy face had twisted into a confused scowl, which looked highly amusing to Luke, who was just standing against the doorframe and enjoying the situation unravel in front of him.

Ashton smiled; it shocked Michael so much he didn’t have time to appreciate how good Ashton’s smile was before it dropped, “What’s your type?” Ashton questioned.

“Um…”

“This is a safe space, Michael.” Calum said reassuringly, “You won’t be judged.”

“I mean you guys are cute and all but, I just prefer guys who are a little… taller.” Michael squeaked, wanting nothing more to hide behind Luke. Speaking of the devil, he burst out laughing and couldn’t seem to compose himself.

Ashton scowled at Michael before turning to Luke, “Can we kill him?”

Luke sobered and smiled at Michael while answering Ashton softly, “Nope, he’s my human friend.” The camaraderie touched the human and he was trying his hardest not to blush.

“Not for long,” Calum growled, but Michael could sense he was joking by the way Calum’s brown, chocolate eyes were sparkling with humour.

Michael laughed awkwardly, not really knowing what else to do. He was so uncomfortable socializing, and while the three boys were easier to talk to than most people, Michael was still out of his element. Ashton seemed to sense this because he stared at Michael for a while, seemingly analyzing him. Just as Michael was about to say something, Ashton cut him off with something the human didn’t expect.

“We’re playing Poker, want to join?”

All eyes were on Michael and while his brain was telling him to scream and run in the other direction so he could hide under the covers and shut the world out, his mouth ended up moving for him. “Sure.” Michael really wanted to get to know them all better, especially Luke; That’s why he was here at all, because Luke understood him more in a twenty minute conversation ten years ago than anyone he’d ever talked to in his lifetime. Michael sat down in a chair, shuffling some cards, when Luke leaned over and whispered into his ear lowly, “They were actually playing Go Fish.”

*

“Dude, my fucking  _hand_!”

“We were playing Snap, it was an accident.”

“Luke, you smashed my hand into the table when you realized I got there first!”

Michael giggled and shuffled closer to Luke before whispering teasingly, “Not a good sport?”

Luke just rolled his eyes at him, “I am, they’re just babies who can’t take a little pain.” Luke stuck the finger up at Calum, who was cradling his hand with a pout.

Calum stood from the table and walked towards his boyfriend, Ashton, “Well, this baby needs to be treated by Doctor Ashton.” He said playfully, kissing his cheek gently and winking.

The curly-haired demon just groaned in response, “I  _told_  you to stop winking at me when you call me that, it sounds so kinky.” He said with a grimace, but nevertheless he stood up and inspected Calum’s hand quickly.

Calum leaned into his boyfriend’s neck and smiled innocently, “You love it.”

“Go fuck somewhere else,” Luke grumbled.

“If you insist.”

Calum and Ashton exited the room, laughter could be heard even when the thick, stone doors closed behind them. After their loud voices faded away, Michael timidly brought up what he’d been wanting to ask ever since he met Ashton, “So, demons can… be together?”

Luke chuckled, “Yes, of course. I’m the ruler of hell, not a tyrant.” He flicked the cards away and they scattered all over the floor, making Michael glance at them before turning back to the blond devil. Michael furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion, “They’re very closely linked-”

Luke cut him off, his voice growing disinterested, “I’m bored of card games, what do you want to do?” His face brightened up as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and held it out to Michael, to which the human politely declined.

“Well, it’s almost night. I should probably go home-” Michael began, shuffling to get out of his seat.

“You can stay here if you want, we can have a sleepover and ‘bond’.”

If Michael wasn’t sitting he was sure he would’ve collapsed. He’d known Luke - well, properly - for about six hours and he knew he wasn’t the most intimate guy, but now Luke,  _the devil,_ was asking  _a human_  if wanted to _share a bedroom_ ,“Uh, sure. Where’s your bedroom?”

Luke shrugged as he lit his cigarette with his finger and stood up, directing Michael through a seemingly never ending hallway of rooms, “Anywhere I want. I prefer the greenroom to sleep in though, I love waking up to natural light.” Something about his words made Michael want to press on about the topic but Luke’s tense expression convinced him otherwise.

“Wow, really? Me too,” Michael whispered, a smile uncontrollably taking over his face. It was something small, tons of people liked waking up to light. But the fact it was Lucifer that shared this with him, made it just a tiny bit more special. His first friend.

The greenhouse was beautiful, it looked like how Michael would picture the Garden of Eden. Glass windows that were so clear Michael doubted he’d find one finger smear, and the flowers… The flowers ranged from common roses to exotic plants and trees. The ground was mixed with dirt and sand, but in a neat pattern, as if it had never been walked on. Michael couldn’t feel himself breathe properly as he looked around. The room was breathtaking.

“So, this is my bed and you can take the one over there if you want,” Luke said, interrupting Michael's train of thought. He sat down on his bed and began taking off his boots, Michael just stared blankly at him, trying to pick his words carefully. “But it’s on the other side of the room, sleepovers are supposed to be intimate, r-right?” He stuttered and as soon as he did, Michael mentally cursed himself for being so awkward.

Luke didn’t look up at him, just continued untying his laces before he said, “I like my space.”

_Good going, idiot,_ Michael thought to himself. He attempted to recover, fumbling with his rings, “Of course, but before we sleep we could just talk?”

“About what?”

“Um, what’s your favourite colour?”

Luke scowled, throwing both of his shoes under the bed and lying down on his blanket, “That’s a stupid question, it’s boring.”

He paused, avoiding Michael’s eyes before muttering, “Probably blue.”

Michael smiled at his response, relieved he was participating and didn’t find this completely lame. “I don’t have a favourite colour, really.” He began, smiling more as he talked, “I like all colours but I don’t necessarily have a favourite.” Michael wondered if he could sit on the edge of Luke’s bed as they talked, but he didn’t want to push it so instead he just stood near him and spoke up again, “Why do you like blue?”

Luke let out a low chuckle, “Because it’s a colour, it’s not that deep, Michael.”

Michael grinned widely, he felt like he was floating, “You got my name right!”

Lucifer rolled his eyes but was that…  _blush on his cheeks?_ No, Michael was imagining things. “I only got it wrong once or twice,” Luke mumbled.

“Still, I’m flattered.” And Michael was.

Luke turned his head towards the wall, a small smile hiding in those pursed lips, “Okay.”

Then, almost too quickly, the blond haired demon jumped under his blanket and murmured as his face was crushed into his pillow, “Having a human friend is exhausting, I’m going to bed.”

Michael smiled and made his way over the opposite end of the room, getting into bed and looking at Luke through the leaves of the room, “Goodnight, Luke,” He whispered lowly, but he knew Luke could hear him.

“Night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ i'm so sorry for any spelling mistakes, i rushed this. honestly i'm surprised with how long it is. anyway, thank you for reading x ]


	4. FOUR

Michael couldn't remember a time when he'd slept as good as he did last night. The green room and having someone else sleep nearby just calmed him, he didn't even have any nightmares. Michael lazily yawned and opened his eyes only to choke back a scream. Luke was sitting next to Michael's bed, arms rested on the mattress and he stared him down intently.

"Luke!" Michael exclaimed, trying to take deep breaths to calm himself. Needless to say, he wasn't expecting to wake up to someone staring at him in such close proximity.

"What?"

Michael met Luke's blank, confused stare with one of exasperation, "Why were you watching me sleep?" Unknowingly pulling his blanket up to cover himself.

"I was waiting for you to wake up," Luke explained simply.

Groaning, the human hid his face in his blanket and muffled out, "Don't you have to rule Hell or something?" Michael didn't intend his sentence to sound rude and it made him wince slightly, the last thing he wanted was for Lucifer to think Michael didn't want to be around him.

Mornings just brought out his grouchy side.

Luke didn't seem affected, "It's not that much work really, especially considering it's almost Christmas. Everyone tries to act like they're not pieces of shit on Christmas." His tone wasn't angry or even upset, Michael wondered how that could be so considering the apparent Christian ties with Christmas.

"Do you celebrate Christmas?" Michael asked quietly. Luke stared at him with an unreadable expression causing the human to panic, "I-It's just there are no trees or anything, I was just wondering." Michael mumbled, embarrassment flooding over him. He wanted to crawl under the covers further and never see Lucifer again to save himself from this constant state of worry.

No, that was a lie. Michael didn't want to never see Luke again, the magnetic pull the human felt towards the devil was almost impossible. Almost. But Michael didn't want to think about that, think about how Lucifer probably felt like he  _had_ to be friends with the boy, and how he really didn't like him. Michael felt like running away whenever Lucifer looked bored, or tired. Anxieties and insecurities flowed through Michael's veins like second nature, all he wanted was to be friends with Lucifer, to be around him; that's all he wanted.

"I don't, do you?" Luke answered, smoothing his hair back and putting it into a small bun. He looked even more dangerous like this,  _hot._ Michael almost forgot what they were talking about, what with all of his negative thinking. He stammered over his words to reply, "I mean, I guess. Presents and stuff, but I don't go out with people and eat and await Santa Claus-"

"What's a Santa Claus?"

Luke's head was tilted to the side, and Michael would've thought he wasn't serious if it wasn't for Luke's puzzled expression, "You... you don't know?"

"Obviously not."

"It's not important, just a holiday thing," Michael explained, throwing off his covers and yawning loudly.

Luke eyed the flower next to Michael pointedly and mumbled with a nervous tone, "Want to celebrate Christmas?"

Michael wasn't sure he'd heard him right. "What? Really?"

Smiling warmly now, Luke nodded and got off his spot from the floor. "Yeah, sure. I've never done it before, it'll be fun."

Michael was grinning back excitedly. This was a friend thing, celebrating Christmas with other people was usually a friend thing... right? He nodded frantically and began to ramble quickly, "Oh, cool. So want to go shopping together? Or we can include Calum and Ashton and do a Secret Santa thing-"

Luke cut him off, "They don't celebrate Christmas." The human boy wasn't sure how to reply, how personal this was. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing and Calum and Ashton just don't celebrate Christmas. Or maybe he was an idiot and shouldn't have brought the whole Christmas thing up, what if Luke changed his mind?

 _Or maybe you just needed to breathe and not take everything to heart,_ Michael thought to himself grumpily.

"Besides, it should be a you and me thing. What do you say?"

Michael perked up, grateful for the distraction from his repetitive thoughts. He was grinning again, his mouth hurt a little because of how  _happy he was_. Christmas! With Luke! "Sounds good."

A thought occurred to him though. "Are there any shops down here? In Hell?" Michael wasn't sure if they had to go up to the human world to buy presents, would Lucifer even want to be up there? Doesn't the devil allegedly hate humans?

"Of course, where else would we get our human blood and dildos?" Luke said with a smile, causing Michael to splutter, " _What?_ " He screeched, sounding similar to a mouse being trodden on.

Lucifer laughed; a musical sound, one that could probably cause wars to stop, one that could cause flowers to grow faster. "Kidding." He said, chuckling before going back to his usual smirk, eyeing Michael's body with curiosity.

And, oh God, did Michael  _blush._

Michael reached for the blanket to pull over himself again, but Luke stopped him with his hand. "Cold? Here, take this." The human stared at the beautiful fallen angel in wonder as Lucifer took off his leather jacket and set it over Michael's shoulders, hanging loosely.

Leather wasn't  _warm_ , per say. More fashionable. But Luke's leather jacket was like a built in heater, and it felt  _great_. Luke patted his thigh twice with a small smile, "Come on, get dressed. I'll show you my favourite shop."

*

Out of all the shops Michael was expecting, he sure as hell wasn't expecting  _this._

Luke's arms were spread wide, pure joy on his face as he awaited Michael's reaction, "Ta-da!"

The human boy cocked his head to the side amusedly as he inspected the bright red pulsing logo, "Target?" He questioned.

Nodding excitedly in response as his smile only seemed to get wider, Luke spoke again. "Isn't it great? You can get  _everything_ in here." The wonder in his eyes was priceless, he looked happier and more childlike than Michael had ever seen him.

"I can't believe Hell has  _Target_."

"Let's go in!" Luke exclaimed, ignoring Michael's comment and walking happily over through the entrance. He got quite a few timid "Hi's" and "Will you sign my boobs?" as he walked past some of the people. Surprisingly, Lucifer didn't say no and in his hand appeared a green flaming marker as he listened to their requests with a smile.

After the fiasco of  _Lucifer being in Target_ died down among the shop, Luke turned to Michael and gave him a smile, "I'm going to go buy your gifts, I'll meet you out front." He didn't even let Michael reply before he bounced off happily, turning corner after corner before disappearing from the human's sight.

"Hi, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Michael jumped slightly and turned around to face a beaming teenage girl with the most colourful hair he'd ever seen, although her roots showed hints of blonde. Her skin showed a pleasant sun-kissed tan that suited her well. She was shifting along on her feet, practically jumping and Michael couldn't remember the last time he'd met someone so full on energy within four seconds of seeing them. "I'm just trying to find a Christmas present," he muttered, racking his brain for a gift.

"You're one of the ones who celebrate Christmas? Around this time we have a whole section for Christmas decorations and gifts, it's over in aisle seven," the girl pointed a thumb over her shoulder and beamed at the human, her mouth showing a gleaming set of perfect teeth that made Michael slightly envious.

"Thanks," he said to her and as he began to walk towards aisle seven, he stopped and turned sharply on his heel. "Um, just quickly," Michael began, capturing the attention of the rainbow-haired girl again, "What would you recommend as a gift to someone who normally doesn't celebrate this holiday?"

The teenager, whose name tag read 'Lauren' smiled at him again, "Well, it depends on who it is. Boyfriend, girlfriend, friend, or family?"

"Friend." The word put a slight unpleasant taste in his mouth which confused him, because it was the truth.

"What do they enjoy?"

Michael hung his head in shame and answered with an embarrassed stutter, "I-I don't know."

Lauren just stared at him and he didn't blame her, Michael hadn't exactly been the most helpful customer. He spoke to her again, blush covered his neck and cheeks no doubt, "Sorry to bother you."

"It's no trouble at all, sweetie." Lauren said with a smile and turned to walk away before Michael cursed himself silently and stopped her again, "Just one more question, you pay with money here... right?"

Instead of laughing in his face, Lauren eyed him curiously, "You're new." She stated, it wasn't a question. Was Michael really that obvious? "You don't have to pay for anything in Hell, everything is free," she answered, a glint in her eye that reminded Michael of Ashton of all people, surprisingly.

"You're joking," Michael said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm joking. All this Christmas stuff is free though, otherwise we'd have this section all year. Not many people celebrate Christmas down here, even though most of the decorations originated from Pagan traditions, it's globally recognized as Jesus' birthday. Most people think by celebrating it, our king will get angry."

"Angry." Michael repeated, his mind flashed back to earlier this morning when Lucifer was the one who suggested this. If he got angry about it, why would he want to celebrate Christmas with Michael?

Now it was Lauren's turn to blush as she attempted to find new words, "He doesn't mean to get angry about this sort of thing, I don't blame him either." Lauren seemed to know an awful lot about Lucifer, and Michael wanted to ask for more information but she changed the subject with a clear of her throat without a second thought."So, see anything you like?"

Michael nodded in understanding, a polite and friendly smile working a way onto his face as we thanked her, "I might, um, come back. I have a few weeks until the day after all. Thank you for your help."

"It's no problem, have a nice day!"

Luke was waiting at the entrance, two bags swung over his shoulder until his eyes met Michael's and he placed them on his sides, smiling at the human with happiness shining all over his face, "Ready to go?" He asked.

Michael nodded. Luke gave him a quizzical look, staring at Michael's empty hands, "Where's your bags?"

 _Sorry to say, I chickened out because I want to get you a present you'll love_ , Michael thought in a hurried panic before sputtering out, "I uh, I used laybuy."

Seeming content with Michael's answer, Luke put his arm around the human's shoulders and snatching the bag away from the younger boy's curious, intrigued eyes that were attempting to subtly look into the plastic bag. "Hey, no peeking!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ these chapters keep getting longer but i swear i'm not trying lmao. enjoy x ]


	5. FIVE

“Hungry?”

Michael let out a relieved breath as he sat up straight on the sofa, “Starving, thank you.”

Luke turned towards him with a grin, unlocking a phone, “Order pizza?”

The human let out a baffled exhale, “Hell has  _pizza_ too?” His hands started to get clammy as a chilling thought went through his mind. Michael’s throat was starting to get restricted and he didn’t know which parts of his body was shaking and which ones were not.

“Luke?” He whispered, trying to keep his voice level.

Lucifer looked up from his phone and his eyes instantly became soft, he walked closer to Michael but left the boy some personal space, which the human was thankful for. Michael couldn’t even hear himself properly as he mumbled out the words, “Are my parents here? In Hell?” His hands started shaking and he willed them to stop, commanded them.

The devil noticeably tensed, causing Michael to squeeze his eyes shut. His suspicions were confirmed and in his emotional state he rambled to Luke, his tone sharp and terrified, “Are they eating pizza, shopping at Target, living another normal life because that’s… they don’t deserve that.” Michael’s voice cracked at the last four words and he tried to look away from his hands which started shaking again. He was so angry, so angry at them. If he wasn’t angry, he was afraid and Michael didn’t want to be afraid of them anymore, so constant fury seemed to be a better option.

“Michael.”

Luke’s voice was soft, not in pity, but in concern. Michael just wanted to stop talking, he wanted everyone to stop talking. He looked at Luke with a false smile on his face as his betraying eyes began to water, “I’m sorry, fuck. Forget I said anything.”

And then Luke’s hand was on his; comforting, different.  _Nice_. “Hell has many branches,” Luke began, looking Michael dead in the eye, “Everything you see around you, all the places you’ve been to, people like your parents don’t come here. People like them, people worse than them as well, they have their own… section, so to speak.”

Michael’s head began throbbing slightly, all the human he spoke to who followed the Bible made it seem so black and white. Hell is bad, heaven is good. Hell is for sinners, heaven is for believers. And now there were branches of hell?

His voice was still hoarse as he gritted the next words out, “Do they get tortured? Are they suffering? Is anyone in that place  _sorry_?” Michael’s tears overflowed his eyelids and a few stray droplets ran down his cheeks, causing the human to swipe them off hurriedly. He was making such a  _fool_ out of himself to the one person who’s opinion mattered to him.

Luke broke eye contact and stared down at his shoes as he chuckled darkly, “You have no idea.”

Before Michael could ask him to elaborate, Luke jumped up and jogged a few steps to the front door, “Pizza’s here.” He explained, sending Michael a wink that sent the human’s heart in a flutter as he opened the door. Michael didn’t know how Luke even ordered it, as he didn’t make the phone call but there in the archway was the pizza delivery guy, and while Michael didn’t get a good look at him, Luke definitely knew him.

“Thanks, Alex!” Lucifer called out, shutting the door and returned to the couch. Two pizzas cradled in his arms, and Luke placed them on the coffee table, opening the first box. While Luke seemed to want to change topics, Michael couldn’t leave it alone. “So, when I die properly. I would just stay here? In this… branch?” He questioned, fumbling with his rings; removing them from their designated finger to switch them around.

Luke sighed, rubbing his hands over his face as he chose his words carefully. “Well, yeah. Right now you can go to the human world and this one as you’re still alive but striking a deal, it’s complicated. Statistics and rules are more Ashton’s thing. When your contract expires, your soul will remain down here so you’ll never go back.” He took a bite of pizza and the cheese ran down his mouth making Michael wipe it off Luke’s chin with the sleeve of his jacket without thinking about it. Alarmed at what he’d done, Michael flushed deeply, stumbling over words to regain some dignity and change the subject, “Is there a downside to all this? Staying here forever would be awes-”

“Provided you are able to underway a series of tasks.”

Michael’s mouth went uncomfortably dry, “What?”

Luke just shrugged in response, “Those aren’t my rules, it’s the big boss man up there in the sky.” His voice went slightly bitter before he cleared his throat and continued, “When you die you take an aptitude test that determines which branch in hell you belong in or if you even belong here at all.”

“Oh.”

You’re never going to see Luke again, Michael’s insecurities threatened in his mind. It was like a war zone of emotions imploding in his head; Michael wanted to throw up. Instead he chuckled nervously, “So, can I like… study for it?”

Luke laughed and Michael welcomed the melody in his ears once more. The devil shook his head, a smile still on his face, “Nah, kid. Doesn’t work like that.”

Michael didn’t know what to ask, there were so many questions that he wanted answers to, but Luke beat him to it. “I’m exhausted, want to watch Netflix?”

*

Luke was so heavily into the movie it impressed Michael, when the human tried to gain his attention, Luke did not react, as if the words didn’t even register in his head. So when Luke spoke up, Michael jumped slightly, startled. “When’s your birthday?” Luke questioned, not taking his eyes off the television screen.

They were lying on opposite ends of the sofa, shoes brushing together temporarily before Luke would dart away, this had happened about four times.  _He definitely had a touching problem_ , Michael thought to himself. He licked his lips, clearing his throat before he answered smoothly, “November, it just passed. Yours?”

Luke’s gaze flickered to Michael’s before dropping it to to the floor, “I don’t have a birthday.”

A pang went through the boy’s chest as he studied Luke. “At all?” Michael asked softly.

“No.”

After hearing the devil’s answer and seeing his tense expression, Michael decided he’d had enough and stood up, getting the remote off the coffee table; pausing the movie. Luke’s demeanor shifted immediately and he bolted out of his seat, “Hey! You can’t just pause Mean Girls, our designated toilet break isn’t for another twenty three minutes-”

Michael put his hands gently on Luke’s shoulders, causing the older man to flinch ever so slightly, but he didn’t do anything more. With a nervous draw of breath, Michael spoke comfortingly, “Close your eyes.” He instructed.

Luke nodded, willingly shutting them. Michael rummaged through the backpack of small objects Calum had collected from his apartment, sighing in relief when he found the small date book. He flicked through the pages, making sure the noise was loud enough for Luke to hear. “Tell me when to stop,” Michael said, not taking his eyes off Luke as he continued turning.

The devil hesitated for a few moments before hesitantly calling out, “Stop?” He opened his eyes, looking uncertain as he stared at Michael, Luke’s gave frequently went back and forth between him and the calendar.

Michael’s hands stilled and he looked at the leather bound book with a nod, “July. Okay, now close your eyes and point to the calendar.”

Luke grumbled but closed his eyes as Michael asked. “I can’t believe you bought a calendar with you on your way to Hell,” he complained, but his tone was amused.

“Technically, it’s an event book. Just point.”

Luke’s hand circled around the paper slowly before making contact with the book. Luke opened his eyes and Michael smiled at the blond angel warmly, “Sixteenth. There you have it, your birthday from now on is on July Sixteenth.” Michael was slightly nervous, hoping that Luke didn’t somehow find offence to this; all Michael was trying to do was help Luke feel better.

Instead of yelling or turning away, Luke’s eyebrows creased together, “That makes no sense historically.”

Michael barked out a laugh and shrugged. Luke, although he wasn’t quite smiling, looked happy and pleased. The human patted the older boy’s shoulder, still grinning widely, “Happy Birthday in July, Luke.”

Luke looked to his feet, but Michael could still see his eyes shining. “Thanks, Mike.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ i hate this chapter i hate this chapter i hate this chapter i hate this chapter i hate this chapter i hate this chapter ]


	6. SIX

Michael had officially decided waking up in the green room was the only acceptable way to start the day off properly. As he stretched and yawned, Michael welcomed the blinding light coming through all the windows and turned his face from a plant which was brushing against his nose. Michael’s eyes shifted to Luke’s bed across the room and he was disappointed to find it empty. “Luke?” He called out softly, throwing off his blanket and placing his feet on the cold dirt, feeling it squish it’s way in between his toes uncomfortably.

Luke’s house, if it was even his, was built like a palace. Doors filled Michael’s eyes with every turn, and the hallways seemed to go on for miles, he couldn’t seen an end. When he heard laughter, Michael’s shoulders relaxed and he knocked on the door before entering without another thought.

“Jesus Christ!” Michael covered his eyes and suppressed a startled scream, which was probably futile as he had made his presence quite known to the pair.

He heard scrambling on the bed, hearing a few squeaks coming from it as well as muffled laughter. “Far from it. Can I help you?” Ashton’s voice asked him.

“N-No. Sorry.” Michael stuttered, eyes tightly shut as he attempted to find the door handle and give them the privacy they had before he came into the room.

Michael wasn’t sure he could ever look at a police officer the same way.

*

After many turns, although thankfully he didn’t find any other demons participating in sexual intercourse, Michael found the kitchen. He brewed himself a cup of coffee and sat at the large table, trying to clear his mind from what he saw.

The human didn’t really have anyone to talk about sex with, and he had certainly never walked in on someone doing it. The whole act made him feel unclean, and while he knew that there was nothing wrong with sex, he couldn’t imagine himself doing it all. Maybe it’s because he hadn’t found anyone to do it with.

 _Well, nothing we can do that about now_ , Michael thought tiredly, sipping his coffee absentmindedly.

“Morning, human.” Calum said abruptly, coming into the kitchen with sweatpants and no T-shirt, causing Michael to forget what he was thinking about temporarily. He knew Calum was attractive, and although Michael had no interest in pursuing the demon, he had never seen a boy in real life with a shirt off so casually. Even at school, the boys wouldn’t lift up their shirts at all if Michael was around because “fags were creepy”.

Michael cleared his throat awkwardly when he realized he was staring for a bit too long, “Good morning, Calum.” He replied with a smile.

Ashton came through the kitchen archway and winked at Calum flirtatiously, “Good morning indeed.”

Calum just blushed and looked down at the counter, preparing coffee for himself. While the silence that followed afterwards wasn’t awkward, Michael felt the need to clear the air, “Sorry about before, I was looking for Luke.”

Without his gaze tearing from Calum’s, Ashton replied smoothly. “Oh, yeah. He told us to tell you he’s busy and he’ll be back soon.”

Michael knew that Luke got busy and logically he knew that Lucifer was the devil and he couldn’t hang out with a human all the time, nonetheless Michael felt a pang of disappointment go through his chest.

Calum seemed to pick up his feelings and looked from his coffee to the boy, smiling warmly, “Want to hang out with us today?”

“You don’t have plans or anything?”

Calum shrugged, “Just going out to do our daily rounds. We’re going up, you’re welcome to join.”

“Um, sure.” Michael replied, picking his nails with his fingers absentmindedly. “That okay with you, Ashton?” The human asked the curly haired man, who gave him a cheeky smile meet with dark, glittering hazel eyes.

“Sure, we need bait every now and then.”

Michael felt himself go pale and Ashton chuckled, going across the room and shoving him playfully in the shoulder, “Kidding.”

“When are you leaving?” Michael asked, sipping his coffee before setting it down and searching the room for a clock.

“Now.”

Michael blinked at the tanned boy and he opened his mouth to argue, “I’m not even dressed-”

Then a hand gripped Michael’s shoulder and standing in front of the human was no longer a contemporary kitchen, filled with paintings and columns that slightly resembled Greek architecture; now Michael’s surroundings were trees and bushes, accompanied with a nice smell of baked goods that made his mouth threaten to water. It disappeared when his stomach felt like it was eating itself. “I think I’m going to hurl,” he muttered.

Calum and Ashton weren’t fazed at all by their transition, already talking quietly to themselves as they eyed several men standing near a broken down car. “Where are we?” Michael interrupted nervously, feeling the tension in his stomach expand.

“Portugal,” They replied simultaneously, before returning to their whispered conversation.

He had never been out of the country before, he didn’t even have a passport. Michael was sure if he had one he’d probably misplace it, he wasn’t very organised. And here he was, with two demons in Portugal. It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.

“Sit back and watch, or don’t. Just don’t interfere, newbie,” Ashton said, with a reassuring pat on the head as he and Calum walked to one of the men, smiling like fools.

“Tomas!” Calum called out, getting the attention of one of the men. He had curly black hair that reached his broad shoulders, accompanied by an angry scowl. Michael would’ve been easily intimidated if he weren’t sitting on the sidelines.

“Quem é Você?”

Calum simply smiled, seemingly understanding Tomas’ question. “This is Ashton, I’m Calum. We’re here to collect payment.” The demon was replying in English, but his voice had changed tone and frequency; as if it wasn’t Calum speaking. And Tomas seemed to understand what he was saying anyway because he visibly paled, his entire body tensing.

Ashton stepped forward, in dangerous proximity to Tomas, “You made a deal five years ago and you’ve been neglecting payment. So we’re here to collect.” His voice was dangerous and slow, which Michael thinks he did on purpose.

Without another word, Tomas sprinted off in another direction. Calum turned to his boyfriend and gave him a shit-eating grin, almost jumping in excitement. “I love it when they run,” He exclaimed, looking at Tomas longingly.

Ashton gave him a kiss on the cheek and a thumbs up, “After you, baby.”

Calum disappeared and was instantly at Tomas’ side, who was trying to weasel his way through the forest. Michael watched from afar as he saw the tanned demon rip out the Portugal's heart after saying a few words Michael couldn’t make out. Calum disappeared once more and returned to Michael’s side, causing the human to jump out of his skin.

“Alright, mate?” Calum said, his voice changing from what it was before to the normal one Michael had gotten used to.

“Y-Yeah,” Michael stuttered. It wasn’t as if it was the first person he’d seen die, it just came as a shock. The human wondered what Tomas had done to deserve his heart ripped out of his body without a second thought.

Michael’s mouth was dry. “Who was that?” He questioned, his hands were now uncomfortably clammy.

“His name was Tomas, he made a deal with Brendon a few years ago about his business, and he was warding off our hell hounds. When they do that, Luke sends Ash and myself. If we don’t go, their heart gives up and they die. But this way is more fun.” Calum answered, he wiped the blood on his hand onto his jeans and buried his face happily into Ashton’s neck.

“Is this your job? You do this everyday?”

Ashton smiled and nodded, “Yep. Luke comes along sometimes too, but only for the big cases. When he feels as if they should suffer just a little bit extra for their crimes.” His large hands found themselves in Calum’s hair and he played with it as he talked to Michael, the human found it rather cute.

Calum pulled away and Ashton playfully pouted, Calum rolled his eyes and grabbed Michael’s arm. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Again?” Michael squeaked, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to see another stranger die in the span of twenty minutes.

“Nope, now we’re going to gamble.”

*

Atlantic City was exactly like Michael expected it to be. Drunk males and females losing all their money either gambling or getting married. Calum and Ashton were currently versing two gentleman in the strangest game Michael had ever witnessed. He wasn’t even sure what the rules were, but the demons seemed to be winning. The blonde, buff man with tattoos on his face rolled the dice and when he witnessed the results, his entire body was shaking with rage.

Calum grinned, “Snake eyes! Ooh, that’s too bad, Malcolm.”

“Double the stakes! I-I never lose-”

Michael cut him off without realizing, “The deal was your life, I don’t get how you can give them your soul twice, sir.”

Ashton and Calum didn’t seem to be bothered, in fact, Ashton got up from his chair and smacked Michael on the shoulder in praise, “What he said.”

“You must have cheated!” Malcolm said angrily, pointing his finger accusingly at Calum. His face was so red, Michael was concerned for his health.

“Me? Cheat?” Calum said softly, his voice calm and low.

Ashton leaned over to Michael and whispered with a smirk, “Watch this, he gets super hot when he’s angry.”

Calum’s face contorted into rage and Michael shrank ever so slightly into his seat. Calum reached across the table and grabbed Michael by his collar, causing people to look over in confusion. “Just because you’re the most incompetent gambler I’ve ever seen and rushed into this does not make me a cheater,” He spat. Disregarding the onlookers, he snapped the neck of Malcolm and exhaled, “Fucking jerk.”

A few people screamed but Calum rubbed his temples and then snapped his fingers and everyone instantly relaxed, as if they hadn’t just witnessed a murder.

Michael gaped, “This is a lot different from when we played snap.”

“You okay, baby?” Ashton asked softly, inspecting Calum’s hands as if his boyfriend might have accidentally chipped a nail while breaking a neck. Calum nodded in reply and turned to Michael, his earlier mood diminishing as a smile broke out on his face.

“Come on, let’s get you back. Luke will pull a fit if he knew you were with us when we gambled.”

Ashton put on a nasally voice and mocked Luke, “‘Don’t taint him with your bullshit, he’s too pure for you assholes!’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ i wanted a little bit more mashlum in this chapter, my boy luke will be in the next chapter though x sorry for the wait ]


	7. SEVEN

“You’re not blowing it right.”

“I’m doing what you did!”

“It’s not that complicated, look, I’ll show you.”

Michael picked up another piece of bubblegum and plopped it into his mouth, trying to show Lucifer step by step on how to blow a bubble successfully. He tried to point to his mouth a crucial times so Luke would know when to pay the most attention; but Luke didn’t enjoy learning things by the looks of it.

“Why do humans even enjoy this?” Luke grumbled with a scowl on his face, You’re not supposed to swallow it. It’s not even food.” He exclaimed, crossing his arms definitely as he glared at the packet of bubblegum next to Michael.

Michael smiled, “It tastes nice and also makes your breath smell nice.” He explained, before blowing a small pink bubble. Showing Luke before the human popped it and spat it out in the bin.

Luke scoffed unhappily, his scowl deepinging, “Why don’t they just brush their teeth?”

Michael barked out a laugh as he shrugged, sitting down on the couch and feeling his tense muscles sink their way comfortably into the cushions; he hadn’t slept very well the night before as the thunderstorm raged violently close to the greenhouse. Michael wasn’t a fan of thunderstorms.

“Who taught you how to blow bubblegum?” Luke asked, snapping Michael out of his trance.

“I taught myself.”

“How?”

“I just kept practising,” Michael replied, watching Luke’s bothered expression.

“I don’t  _like_  practicing, I want to be able to do things when I want to,” Luke complained. Slumping in the couch next to Michael.

The human smiled and tried to explain to him again, “You just have to work your tongue around the gum-”

Luke cut him off sharply, “I know how to use my tongue, thank you. It’s not  _my_ fault,you’re giving me faulty gum.” He wasn’t mad per say, Michael thought the devil just looked slightly irritated. Nevertheless, his words made Michael let out a small giggle.

“It doesn’t work like that, Luke.”

The front door opened and without turning around to look, Luke exclaimed loudly, “Calum!” He turned around, shifting his attention on the tanned boy, “I know how to use my tongue, right?”

Michael almost laughed at the face Calum was pulling, “Um, is this a trick question?” The demon asked, drawing out his words hesitantly.

“He can’t blow bubblegum,” Michael clarified.

“It’s not that hard, just flatten-”

Lucifer sighed and glared at Calum, throwing his hands in exasperation, “Mike told me already, it’s just  _impossible._ ” Luke turned from Calum and glared at the bubblegum packet, as if it was its fault.

Meanwhile, Calum was looking at Michael with a small smile, ‘Mike?’ he mouthed to the human. Michael couldn’t help but blush, as he shrugged in reply. The human directed his attention back to the devil, “You just need a little more patience, I’m sure you’ll be able to do it soon.”

Calum giggled from behind them, “He’s got eternity to try.” He joked before making his way up to the second floor.

Luke’s expression relaxed and he looked at Michael curiously, “What other things can you teach me?”

“Nope, it’s your turn. You said if I showed you what I was doing, you would tell me something about yourself.”

The devil’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration, his tongue playing with his teeth. After a few moments of seemingly deep though, Luke announced, “My favorite flavor of ice cream is cookies and cream.”

“Really? Had you pegged for a vanilla kind of guy.” Michael joked, going to touch Luke’s arm playfully before remembering Luke’s particular issues and tensed up, drawing his arm back before the devil noticed.

Luke’s voice became dark, low, and dangerously attractive. “I’m anything but vanilla, Michael.”

Michael froze, his throat becoming dry as he desperately tried to gain his voice back from when Luke knocked it out of him by the way he said his name. The human felt tingling all over his body, Michael’s heart fluttered with every sharp intake of breath he took. Letting out a shaky breath, Michael tried to compose himself, “W-Well, my favorite flavor is rocky road.”

“We should go out for ice cream sometime,” Luke said easily, summoning a cigarette into his fingertips and lighting it without another hesitation.

Michael’s heart was beating so rapidly, he was positive Luke could hear his nervousness, his anxiety, his hopefulness.  _Was this a date?_  The human thought to himself, shifting his rings from one finger to the next. Michael cursed at himself mentally; he wasn’t supposed to like Luke this way - even consider Luke this way, it wasn’t part of his plan..  _This wasn’t supposed to happen._

“L-Like with Ashton and Calum?” He stuttered lamely, shifting his eyes away from Luke in embarrassment.

Luke looked over at the human, puzzlement evident in his expression, “Just us.”

Michael wished he knew what the devil was thinking, he wished there was someone there to tell the human what to do. Michael could easily follow instructions, but making up his mind was something the boy had always found complicated. Luke was staring at him now; obviously awaiting a response. “I’d like that,” the human responded finally, a huge smile taking over his face.

He had never been on a date before, he hadn’t even had a crush on anyone. Now Michael was going on a date with the devil. With  _Luke_.

“You’re looking at me weird.”

Michael felt as if he’d been slapped and tied up and humiliated, “N-No! No, I’m not!” He cried desperately, “You had something on your face,” Michael ended, feeling pathetic. Luke would never go on a date with a human, it was just a friend thing. Stupid.  _Stupid._

“Oh,” Luke stated in surprise, rubbing his hand over his face, “Is it gone?”

All that was running through Michael’s mind was that he had a  _crush_. He liked the only friend he’s ever had. He liked someone who was older than time, he liked the devil himself.

“Yeah, it’s gone.”

Luke shrugged, standing up and putting on a blue denim jacket, “I’m heading out for a beer, a walk would probably do me good. Want to come?” He asked distractedly, walking over to the door.

He had a crush on someone he could never have, in any way really. Luke and Michael were barely friends, and they really shouldn’t be. Michael had forced this upon him, and he was going to die soon anyway. Luke will  _forget about him_.

Michael held back a pathetic whimper and clenched his fists tightly, “I’ll just stay here if that’s okay, have a nice night.”

Luke’s demeanor slightly dampened but he smiled so quickly after, Michael wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not. “Goodnight, Michael,” Luke said softly before closing the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ okay so i rewrote this chapter like five times because i was deciding whether it was "soon enough" to make Michael have a crush, as it's barely been a week in their time. but i settled on making him have a small one because he really looks up to Luke ( as it's the first person he's had as a friend / role model etc ) so if it seems to soon i apologize. also want to clarify just in case i made it seem like it, even though Michael has a crush, Luke does not. He's still figuring out friendship and all that with a human let alone liking one. 
> 
> phew i don't know if that was necessary but if anyone actually had the effort to read this, i applaud you ]


	8. EIGHT

Michael gripped the sheets harshly, forcing his heart rate to settle down before someone came bursting in the greenhouse in worry. The human’s throat was hoarse, almost raw; like he’d been screaming for hours. His eyes darted over to the devil’s sleeping frame before averting his eyes quickly.

When Luke had come into the room that night, Michael pretended to be asleep. Luke probably knew he was awake but the human was trying to figure out how to  _talk_ to him. And now Michael was trying not to stare at the devil across the room snoring softly.

Eventually Michael gave up attempting to look away and studied Luke’s calm face, it helped him overtime. His breathing had settled, the lump in his throat was still there but fading, and he wasn’t shaking anymore. Michael was grateful, it usually took him hours to calm after a nightmare and yet Luke wasn’t even conscious and the human felt relaxed after looking at him.

 _God, you’re such a creep_ , Michael thought to himself grumpily. He buried his face in the covers and willed himself to stay awake, his heart rate wouldn’t settle down quickly if he had another nightmare.

*

Michael felt uncomfortable, the covers were still over his head but now the sun shined into the corners of his blanket. He could  _feel_ him staring at him, waiting for him to wake up.  _He probably wants you to leave because he knows you kept looking at him last night like a freak_. Michael’s thoughts were pounding against his head harshly, and no matter how much he wanted to stay in bed and avoid his feelings, avoid Luke, he knew he had to get out and pretend everything was normal.

Slowly Michael peeked from under the covers, and sure enough Luke was there looking at him patiently, “Hey, I’m free for the day. Want to hang out?”

Casual, simple, friendly. Like Luke usually was, but Michael couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Luke sighed at his silence, cocking his head to the side, “You okay? You’ve been acting weird.”

“I’m fine.”

Luke shifted in his chair, leaning closer as he softly said, “I apologize for staring at you this morning if that made you comfortable, I thought friends did this. You did it last night.”

Michael’s cheeks flushed instantly and he gulped nervously. Of course Luke noticed, Michael was an idiot for thinking otherwise. He looked away and spluttered quickly, “That was just-”

“You also had a nightmare,” the devil interrupted, watching Michael carefully with lips pursed. He was surrounded by wild ferns and flowers, and with his perfectly sculptured face, Michael thought he had never seen someone so beautiful before in his life. Luke’s radiant qualities shone brightly in the most unusual times, and each time they did they seemed more angelic than before.

But when Luke brought up his nightmares, Michael froze. He wasn’t sure if the devil was asking Michael what they were about but the thought alone made him queasy; Luke noticed his reaction.

“I thought of asking you if you were okay but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk about it, I thought if you did you wouldn’t pretend to be asleep,” the blond continued, staring at Michael intently. That was another thing Michael admired about him, he wasn’t afraid of whatever he said, he looked at people straight in the eyes. Whereas Michael couldn’t look at someone for more than five seconds before feeling nervous and averting his gaze.

Luke wasn’t fazed by Michael’s silence, instead he spoke with more warmth, more determination; it made Michael smile a little. “But I asked Calum and he said humans can have nightmares regularly, more so than demons. So, want to talk about it?”

“It was about my parents.”

Michael hadn’t realized he spoken until he watched Luke’s expression grow ever so slightly softer, his eyes were wide but mouth was pressed into a thin line. Like he understood. Instantly, the human was reminded why he’d initially chosen Lucifer as a friend in the first place.

“You don’t talk about them often,” Luke stated.

“Neither do you,” Michael shrugged in response.

The blond began chuckling quietly, “Touche.”

Silence fell upon them again. Parents were always a tricky subject, for both of them. As Michael opened his mouth to break the silence, Luke spoke over the top of him with such a soft tone Michael forgot what he was going to say, “Are you happy here?”

Without hesitation, the human responded, “Of course.”

“I could find a way to work around the contract...”

Michael’s mouth dropped and his blood turned to ice for a millisecond, “That wouldn’t exactly be fair now, would it?” He responded coolly, but his stomach was tugging anxiously, “Besides, I like it here. I like hanging out with you.”

Luke hid a small smile, and Michael struggled to hide the heat on his neck that was spreading to his face. “So do I, I like it more than I expected to,” the devil said, staring at Michael with such a stare that the human’s breath hitched. Then, for the first time Michael had seen; Luke averted his gaze, his expression like a wounded animal’s, “Why me, Michael?”

“Hmm?”

“Well you wanted friends, yeah? You could have sold your soul and have hundreds of friends if you pleased, not just one.” Luke coughed awkwardly and forced a smile on his face, “Although Calum and Ashton have taken a liking to you.”

Luke’s eyes met Michael’s again and the human had never seen such obvious fear and caution, it pained him that Luke was overthinking this. All Michael had ever wanted for him, since they had met was for him to be happy, peaceful. Although his eyes shone many various layers of pain, Luke’s voice was leveled and controlled, “Why out of all the people in the universe, did you choose me?”

“Because you were the first one to understand me, you were kind to me. No one had been nice to me in a long time,” Michael responded. He had barely thought about the words before he spoke, as Michael had been thinking this and more for a while.

Luke’s right eye twitched slightly, and Michael wasn’t sure if that was a bad response. Maybe Luke didn’t particularly  _want_ someone who depended on them, someone that complimented him; when Michael was younger he sure didn’t.

“I’m the devil, Mike.”

His voice was so incredibly fragile that Michael almost flinched. The human suddenly realized that Luke did want someone who needed him because maybe, just maybe he needed someone too. Although Luke had Calum and Ashton, they had each other. They were romantically connected. And while Luke  _obviously_ didn’t want Michael in that way, he needed his own person.

Michael needed him too.

Abruptly, Luke’s delicate emotional and physical mood vanished and was replaced with that easy going smirk and guarded wall; Michael almost objected and wanted to hug him. “I just think you deserve better, that’s all,” Luke said dismissively, clearing his throat and walking to the door.

“Haven’t met anyone better than you,” Michael whispered, hoping that the devil’s senses would pick it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ sorry for the wait lovelies, been focusing on school x ]


	9. NINE

“Ashton, are you busy?”

Ashton looked up from his phone and glanced at Michael briefly before turning his attention back to the screen, “No, Calum’s doing all the rounds today. Why?”

Michael’s unease was apparent all over his body, from his shaking knees to his uncomfortable, clammy hands. Swallowing his anxieties, he attempted to relax himself and said, “I need your help.”

Ashton raised an eyebrow in response before scoffing, not looking up at all. “Why don’t you ask Luke?” He put the phone on the marble counter next to him, but still didn’t give Michael any attention. Instead, the curly golden blond made himself a cup of tea. Michael relished in the nice smell, peppermint tea was a normal necessity he sometimes missed; he didn’t even realize Hell had tea before now, but Hell had a lot of things apparently.

“Because it’s about Luke,” Michael murmured. Logically, the human knew he shouldn’t be so nervous. He wasn’t asking anything major from Ashton, just advice; but Michael never knew where he stood with the demon, Ashton seemed irritated with him one minute and friendly the next. And as Michael had learnt as a child, the line between them is incredibly thin. He just didn’t want to annoy Ashton, he liked him. “I need help finding a present for him,” he continued.

Ashton put two sugars into his tea and looked up at him momentarily, almost bored, “Why are you buying him a present?”

“Christmas is in a few days.”

Ashton’s hand stilled and the corner of his mouth twitched, Michael wasn’t sure if it was in amusement or annoyance, “You’re buying him a Christmas gift?”

Michael stayed silent.

“The devil?” Ashton continued, his eyes staring pointedly at Michael.

The human’s cheeks flamed and as he played with his rings, Michael tried to explain but he came up empty. He couldn’t blame Ashton, it did sound kind of ridiculous.

Letting out a low whistle, Ashton smiled as he stirred his tea, “Might want to reconsider, Michael.”

“Why?”

Ashton blew on the hot tea off the spoon before sipping on it lightly, a slight slurping sound echoed throughout the kitchen. “Luke doesn’t celebrate Christmas,” Ashton said, as if it was ludicrous to suggest otherwise.

Michael frowned, “But it was his idea.”

A clatter sounded on the tiles and Michael looked at the floor to see that the spoon that was previously in the demon’s mouth was turned over in the floor, dropped out of Ashton’s slightly gaping mouth. “Is it that surprising?” The human questioned, hugging himself closely.

Ashton scoffed, picking up the spoon on the floor and chucking it in the sink, “Well, in the few millennia I’ve known him, he has never once mentioned Christmas. So I’m a bit surprised, yes.” He sipped at his coffee tentatively, his expression obviously rattled.

Gathering up all the courage he could in Ashton’s presence, Michael blurted out, “Is it because it’s his brother’s birthday?”

Ashton let out a humorless laugh, “Wouldn’t say that to him, he doesn’t seem Jesus as his brother. Also, Jesus’ birthday was actually in March,” he remarked, clicking his tongue distastefully and without another word began pouring the remainder of his tea into the sink.

“So, he doesn’t want a present?” Michael questioned, his hopeful aspirations slowly fading.

“I wouldn't have any idea, would I? It’s not like the three of us have ever celebrated Christmas; Calum and I despise the holiday and we thought Luke did too.” Michael detected a bit of sadness in Ashton’s voice and facial expression but before the human could properly analyze how to approach the demon about it, Ashton’s vulnerability shut down as he started washing his mug in the sink.

Michael whispered tentatively, as if afraid Ashton would be mad at him, “Ashton, what stuff does he like? You know him better than I do-”

The demon cut him off with a snort of laughter, “Whenever we give each other ‘presents’, it’s always vodka.”

As Michael was considering what type of vodka Lucifer would prefer, Ashton’s chuckle brought him back to reality, “Don’t get him vodka,” Ashton instructed.

“But you just said-”

Ashton cut off the small human with a patronizing look, “I also just said that Luke has never celebrated Christmas, and you’re saying you want to give him something he always has access to? I say get him something he values, that he doesn’t use all the time.” He paused, “Then again, being the devil he as access to pretty much everything.”

Michael couldn’t help but laugh, “No kidding.” Luke seemed to be impossible to buy presents for, and for a split second the human wondered what Lucifer got him; they went shopping within days of knowing each other, Luke could’ve gotten him underwear for all Michael knew.

Once again, Ashton brought him from his thoughts; he seemed to be good at that, “Sorry I’m no help, but as much as Calum and I are involved in his life, we’re still his subjects in a sense; and he’s still basically royalty around here. He doesn’t open up to us much about his personal interests,” Unlike last time, Ashton’s voice was carefully controlled, as if he knew Michael was watching. It made Michael frown slightly, wanting nothing more to comfort the demon.

“Do you consider yourselves friends?” He asked hesitantly, biting on his nails.

Ashton’s walls cracked momentarily as his eyes looked down in disappointment. Ashton quickly fixed it however, diverting his attention back to washing his cup, “Maybe, but I don’t think he does, not really. He says so, but he’s never acted with us like he has with you, and you’ve only been here for two weeks.”

Michael’s heart drooped sadly, it seemed as if Lucifer wasn’t the only one who had inner demons. Figuratively, of course.

“Anyway, if you want to know what he enjoys, maybe ask him. Just a suggestion,” Ashton continued.

Barking out a laugh, Michael rolled his eyes, “Thanks, you’re so helpful.”

“I aim to please, little human.”

*

So what did Michael do? He thought he would read the Bible for some inspiration, in hindsight it was probably not a good idea but the human didn’t have much else to go on. And after four hours of reading, after four hours of wanting to slam his head on the table: he found it.

Now, Lucifer would still have access to an item like this but Michael could make it _unique_ , he could engrave and decorate and… it was all coming together now, the idea was bursting at the front of his mind and all the blond human could hope for was that Luke wouldn’t hate it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ yeah i know this was a really shitty filler but i wanted some more mashton because my boy irwin has been kind of one dimensional so far ]
> 
> [ also it's october, my favourite time of year whoop whoop ]


	10. TEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ this is so long compared to the other chapters whoops. but heaps of fluffy muke feels. lowkey cried writing this ]

Christmas. Michael used to dread it, after his parents had died he spent all of his Christmas’ alone, or with his older cousin, Nicholas. While Nicholas wasn’t as awful as his parents, the twenty-nine year old simply did not care about the younger boy. This lead to Michael feeling lonely a lot of the time; which is why he spent Christmas by himself, if you could even call it Christmas. It was more sitting around drinking tea and watching whatever special was on TV.

This would be his first proper Christmas, his first one since he was seven years old. Michael couldn’t contain his excitement, roping Lucifer into setting up the decorations and tree with him.

“Remind me why people buy  _trees_? It’s not relevant at all,” Luke grumbled, adjusting the branches so they weren’t clumped together messily. Nevertheless, the devil seemed to be enjoying himself, his eyes darting to the box of decorations every few minutes, itching to make the fake green tree shine with beauty.

Once the tree was nicely set up, Michael picked up the cardboard box full of ornaments and tinsel and placed them closer to the tree. Luke was eyeing them greedily but as his hand went for one, he pulled it back slowly, “How do you want to decorate the tree?”

“Most people just put whatever they like on: tinsel, lights, ornaments. Even photos,” Michael told him. Lucifer frowned deeper in response, opening his mouth before shutting it and picking up a red bauble and putting it on the tree.

For approximately three seconds.

Luke ripped the bauble off dropped it back into the cardboard box, “It needs a  _theme,_ Michael. There needs to be order in the decorating, or else it will look messy.”

Michael was tempted to laugh at his antics until he realized how invested Luke was into making Christmas seemingly perfect, for himself or for Michael, the human didn’t know which one but it didn’t really matter. If Luke wanted the perfect Christmas he was going to have it.

“What about red, green and gold? It would go well with our green tree.” Michael suggested, “Or if you’d like, we could go to Target and quickly get a different colored tree.”

Luke seemed to consider the idea and without another word he brought the box to the floor and sat cross-legged beside it; the devil began to empty out the ornaments before looking at Michael with a puzzled expression, “Well, don’t just stand there,” he patted the floor space next to him, “Help me categorize the colors.”

Michael complied, sitting next to his friend and getting comfortable. Already, Luke was organizing the greens, golds and reds. Michael noticed his concentration, his delicacy and decided to focus on the pink, purple and silver ornaments. It was a nice little task, they occasionally spoke but Michael was just happy to have something to do that was simple and easy, some part of the human missed the normalcy of it all.

“Done!” Luke announced, smiling happily. The devil’s smile always caused Michael’s heart to do a little flip. His heart seemed to thump against his chest harshly whenever Lucifer was close as well, which is what they were now; knees brushing, their personal space bubbles barely touching.

“What theme should we have, do you think?” Luke questioned, turning to Michael and looking at him so deeply the human suppressed a shudder. “I say if we stay with our green tree we use gold and red. However, if we do what you suggested and buy a white tree it should have pink and purple with the occasional silver. Thoughts?” Lucifer was putting so much thought into a simple task, others might have been confused or irritated, Michael found his heart warming at his words. He understands how Luke feels about this, there are some differences but Michael gets it; he gets wanting Christmas to be special, and not just because it’s his first proper Christmas in a decade.

Because odds are, it’s also Michael’s last.

Michael cleared his throat and spoke up as confidently as he could, “Well we’ve already decorated the room with gold lights, so it might be easier if we stick with our tree and use red and gold.”

Luke’s eyebrows furrowed together and his mouth was set in a tight line, “Easier or better?”

The human noticed Lucifer’s worried tone and tried to reduce it as best as he could; Luke being stressed and doubtful wasn’t good for anyone, and certainly not for his own self. And really, that’s what Michael cared about most.

“I think it’d be better for this year,” Michael responded, “green trees are more ‘traditional’ anyway. We can have a white tree next year.”

Instead of a worried frown Luke’s facial expression now seemed to fall apart, as if the thought strained him. Hurt him. “Right,” He said abruptly, looking down tensely, “Next year.”

Awkward silence was one thing, but this silence seemed to be of disappointment and knowing. Knowing that a month has already gone past, knowing that in five months Michael would either stay in Hell with Lucifer, stay in Hell being tortured, or in Heaven. The latter seemed to be the worst, Michael probably would never see Luke again. They decorated the still tree for a while in silence but when Michael started to get more and more nervous with his thoughts thumping through his head, he spoke up, “Want me to put on some music?”

 _Please say yes,_  Michael thought pleadingly,  _As much as I love talking to you, I’ll think of an afterlife without you in it and I’ll probably break down like a child. I don’t want to do that-_

Michael’s train of thought was interrupted when he noticed Luke give him a small nod, obviously the devil wanted the distraction too. So until the tree was decorated, Michael and Luke spent their time fending off the urge to scratch when the plastic bristles touched their arms and listening to Michael’s Spotify playlist.

“Your taste is better than I thought it would be,” Luke commented politely.

*

“Merry Christmas, Luke!” Michael exclaimed happily, trying not to be  _too_ loud in awaking the devil. Michael knows that Luke usually wakes up on the wrong side of the bed when is interrupted from his deep slumber.

Luke groaned from under the covers and mumbled, “Fuck, is it even Christmas yet? Can’t even see the sun.”

The human couldn’t help but giggle, “It’s seven in the morning, that’s when most people get up. I read it somewhere.”  _No, he didn’t_. He just wanted to have an early start; hot chocolate, presents and even caroling sounded so appealing to Michael and he wanted to do it as quickly as possible.

After a few more moments of growling unhappily, Luke threw the blanket off his face and rubbed at his eyes tiredly, “Give me a second.”

“I’ll meet you downstairs.”

*

Michael understood why Christmas was so celebrated back home. He understood the moment he came down the steps and smelled… Christmas. It wasn’t snowing outside, it wasn’t a Winter Wonderland but Michael doubted it snowed in Hell anyway. Michael smelt the Christmas tree pine, even though it was fake he could imagine the smell and it was filling his nostrils. Michael could smell the warmth and sunshine that radiated around the room even though no one else had been in here all morning. It smelt like home, and Michael couldn’t remember the last time he knew what home smelled like.

Luke came down shortly after and smiled excitedly, his beautiful blue eyes dancing in awe and wonder. Michael thought he’d never looked better. Lucifer had something behind his back and Michael’s heart rate sped up in anticipation.

“Do you want your present first?” Luke questioned, a small smile playing at his lips.

Michael who was struggling to keep his cool, responded with a timid “Sure.”

Red flooded Luke’s cheeks as he hesitantly reveal the messy package from behind his back. A small soft parcel was in the devil’s hands and sticky tape seemed to be barely holding the simple white paper together properly. “I… I’m not good at wrapping…” Lucifer trailed off, kicking his feet together nervously. Michael noticed he did that often, must have a habit of doing so when he’s anxious; like Michael did with his rings.

“I didn’t even wrap yours so better than me,” Michael joked. The parcel was handed to him and the human unwrapped it eagerly, full of curiosity and excitement.

“Merry Christmas,” Luke whispered while he was watching Michael’s expression with worry, fear and hopefulness.

Michael’s hands touched the soft fabric inside the gift and unintentionally his eyebrows creased in confusion.

Socks. And not just any socks, Christmas socks.  _Socks_.

Luke spoke up loudly, “Before you say anything, I thought about this for a while. But I remembered in the morning we decided to celebrate Christmas that you were cold.” He rambled, peeling off his fingernail in what Michael assumed was nervousness. “So I was going to get you something to keep you warm but I decided socks would be nice so I bought a bunch of knitting stuff-”

“You made them?” Michael interrupted unintentionally.

The blushing red returned to Luke’s features, spreading from the bottom of his neck to his ears, “Uh, yes. I thought it would be more personal and Christmas-y that way.”

Michael’s heart was practically soaring, the fact that Luke not only put thought into the conversations they shared but also was willing to make it personally touched the human. He could see the flaws in the socks, a few small holes, but it made Michael love them even more. A small piece of imperfect perfection, just like Luke.

“Thank you,” Michael said with a toothy grin that he couldn’t stop, “Really. I love them.”

Michael could hear Luke let out a large breath of relief at the human’s words and slowly but surely, Lucifer grinned widely back. The friends stared at each other wordlessly for a few moments before Luke broke his own gaze, causing Michael to let out a breath himself and clear his throat, “Your present is in the spare room.”

The human had been working on his creation all night, even when Lucifer was sound asleep. His hands had trembled in anxiousness, wanting everything to be perfect. His eyes were hooded, because although his brain was wide awake his body was tired. All Michael wanted was for Luke to like it, he’ll even take a quick thank you that didn’t have any truth to it. Michael wanted to be acknowledged for putting this together in two short days but most of all he wanted Luke to know that he really did try.

Also, if Luke likes his present, it’s a bonus.

Michael led him upstairs, to the room where he worked quickly and efficiently and slowly put his hands on the handle of the huge brown doors. This was it. Swallowing back his nausea and fear, the human took one last look at Luke’s curious face before pushing the doors open.

“Merry Christmas!” Michael shouted, trying to sound excited when all he felt was the crushing weight of disappointment that was about to fall flat on his face.

Everything was exactly where Michael had left it. Golden lights that were more white in color, really, shown in all the space of the room. Silver lights wrapped around the columns that led to the slightly lifted floor, which was, in Michael’s opinion the best part. A violin, an acoustic guitar, a string bass and a saxophone were on their stands, all engraved specially and waiting to be touched, to be played.

The violin was a beautiful handcrafted masterpiece - it took Michael hours and hours to find it - the dark wooden violin had the initials M.G.C which Michael thought was incredibly cheesy, he wasn’t sure what possessed him to ask for that specific engraving but alas, he couldn’t change the past. The string bass had a simple heart on it. The saxophone took the most work and the most money as it had the biggest engraving, a bunch of beautiful swirls that overlapped exquisitely. Michael owed Calum a lifetime of baked goods in return for the money that was used to buy all of this. And the acoustic guitar, Michael’s favorite, engraved with a large rose and next to the stem of it, the date in which Michael met Luke for the first time properly, weeks after they made the deal. ‘30. 11. 18.’

Luke’s face didn’t display any emotion as he looked around the room, his eyes remained suspiciously empty and devoid of anger, happiness… anything. Michael started to panic, “I’m sorry if you don’t like them it’s just you’re incredibly hard to buy for, and I realize you can summon these from wherever you summon objects from but look! I got these engraved, each instrument has a different engraving on them-”

Michael almost collapsed at the feeling of Luke’s arms wrapped around his body in a hug.

The pale blond froze, slowly but tightly wrapping his hands around Luke as well. So tightly, Michael wondered if he was hurting him; he just couldn’t let go, because then the warmth of being touched like this for the first time in a decade by someone he trusted will have left him, because otherwise Michael would be certain he was crazy and this was all a hallucination.

“O-oh,” the human spluttered in surprise. Michael’s jaw was hanging open and he was almost certain Luke had a smile on his face from his reaction.

Warmth. Safety. Trust. Christ, his body was tingling happily, he felt like a child who just got complimented by their crush. But this was more than that, even though he had… feelings for Luke, Michael was struggling to hold back tears because this was perfect, he hadn’t been hugged for as long as he could remember. Even though he loved and adored the socks he had received, Michael thought no one would ever be able to top this as a gift for the rest of Michael’s days. No one could make Michael feel as loved as Luke had in that moment.

Luke pulled away and in the softest voice Michael had ever heard whispered, “Thank you, Mike.”

“Y-You’re welcome. So you like it?”

“More than you realize.”


	11. ELEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up, some of this chapter has physical violence in it. it's kind of a dark chapter, so if you don't think you can handle it, please please please do not read it. i don't want anyone to get hurt x also, change of plans, this chapter is in luke's point of view. happy reading!!

Luke had been alive since the beginning of time and never in all his days, had a Tuesday been so flawlessly perfect. Even meeting Paul McCartney in 1967 came second to spending Christmas with Michael. Calum and Ashton hated the holiday with a fiery passion and Luke was never one to argue with their preference, he didn’t particular care for Christmas either.

But Michael made everything exciting; from failing to cook a turkey together together—Michael really was a terrible cook—to watching stupid human Christmas cable and drinking hot chocolate at eleven at night. Luke usually would rather be caught dead than spend his time with frivolous human pleasures but it was  _fun_ with Michael, they would talk for hours on end about things that Michael didn’t understand but the small boy was so damn fascinated when Luke talked about Hell, talked about his boring days, talked about his favorite foods and music. It was enchanting how powerful and in control Luke felt, he hadn’t truly felt that since he was cast from Heaven.

Luke honestly didn’t expect to tolerant Michael, or even  _like_ him. He thought he’d get bored, tiresome of a needy, dependent human. But Michael didn’t push, or invade his personal space and it was fucking fantastic. Michael and Luke had an actual friendship, one where they’d sit and watch movies, one where Luke even put his arms around them.

Honestly, Lucifer wasn’t sure who was surprised more when he wrapped his arms around the human: himself or Michael.

God, he sounded so annoying. Luke was annoying himself on how much his thoughts ranted on about Michael, he’d have killed anyone who annoyed him this much. Friendship was exhausting. Even Ashton and Calum, someone he considered the closest people to him for millennia weren’t really friends. More colleagues. At least that’s what Luke suspected they felt, because no one ever really wants to be friends with their boss.

Michael was his first and it was a messed up present of confusion and excitement wrapped up with a neat bow.

And Michael’s present, what the  _hell_ was that about? He couldn’t possibly know what Luke thought about every passing day for centuries, the anger he felt whenever he broke out his wings. The regret.

_Stop it. Stop it. Stop it._

*

Luke was so angry, the darkness that was expanding throughout his chest to the tips of his fingertips was hostile and cold. He doesn’t remember ever feeling so angry, he didn’t even know  _why_. But the thoughts in the devil’s head were screaming violently, screaming at him to hurt. To maim. To make it stop.

“Luke?”

Michael was across the room sitting in his bed, looking like he’d just woken up and Luke was so fucking angry at him. He wanted to rip the confusion off his face, swallow his fear as he screamed. To maim Michael. He was so close to Luke, only a few steps, he could march over there and just snuff out his life with a blink. A click of his fingers. He hated Michael, he hated him. Kill. Kill. Kill.

In a small voice, a caring voice that made Lucifer sneer, “Luke, are you okay?” Michael asked, eyes dripping with concern.

It made Luke sick.

Fuck, he couldn’t even think past the screaming in his head. He was so fucking angry, white-hot rage filled every ounce of him and Lucifer didn’t know how much longer he could last without squeezing the life out of Michael’s throat. He was so tiny and fragile, just one little squeeze and he’d be dead. Lying on the floor, his expression of betrayal warming Luke’s cold heart. It’d be so easy, so easy to kill him.

Then Michael’s hand reached out and touched Lucifer’s shoulder gently, Luke could  _feel his breath_. “You’re my best friend, you know?” The human spoke softly, skin soft against Luke’s, “You mean so much to me, Lucifer.”

 _Snap_. The result was instantaneous, Luke grasped the hand lying on his shoulder and  _twisted it_ ,  _crushed it_  so Michael would scream painful harmonies. Michael was cradling his hand and already crying and Luke smiled at him, smiled at the fun that he’d experience. He kicked the human to the other end of the room, hearing Michael’s body crash harshly against the greenroom glass.

“Luke! Luke,  _stop_!” Michael pleaded,  _begged_. It made Luke feel better, it made Luke feel like laughing. With a smirk, he marched across the room to where Michael was lying practically limp already and pulled Michael’s hair harshly towards him so that the human looked up at Luke with tears in his eyes. Lucifer could feel his eyes glowing, cold blue irises enjoying every moment of Michael’s fear and he smiled cruelly.

Michael flinched under his gaze, “You-You… You’re a monster.”

Luke was and he knew it, it felt so nice to  _embrace it_. To hurt, to maim. He felt strong and powerful, and for the first time in millennia he felt as if his Dad was looking down at him horrified. And Luke fucking relished in that feeling, of making dear old Dad  _scared of him_. Luke wrapped his hands around Michael’s next and squeezed, and sure enough… the human’s life went out like a light.

*

Lucifer woke up shaking, the images of Michael dying by his hand burning in the back of his mind.  _Monster,_ Michael had called him and it was true, everyone seemed to know it but the human who was breathing slowly at the other end of the room, sleeping peacefully.  _Monster._

Was that a dream or a prediction? A promise of what Luke would one day do. A shiver coated in dread ran itself throughout Lucifer’s body and he couldn’t take the enclosed space anymore; the outside view usually helped but he needed air, he needed to be away from Michael.

In case he hurt him.

His movement must have stirred Michael because the devil could hear him sit up sleepily, he could smell his worry from across the room.

_Monster._

“Luke? Are you alright?” Michael questioned and instantaneously Luke felt like vomiting. His mind flashed back to the dream,  _“Luke, are you okay?”_  Lucifer felt the urge to scream as images of Michael’s life fading because of him, because of his hands and his anger.

Lucifer cleared his throat and tried his best to sound nonchalant, “I’m fine, Michael.” His voice came out strangled and he knew he couldn’t be here any longer, he had to leave. He had to fix this. “Excuse me, I have business to attend to this morning.”

Michael’s eyebrows knitted together in what seemed like worry but his voice was chirpy, “Alright, see you later.”

 _Monster_.

*

Lucifer couldn’t help but pace back and forth in the library, frustration following him like a cloud. Calum wasn’t doing anything to ease it, despite his efforts. “Lucifer, a deal is a deal. They sealed it-”

Luke cut him off, “If you burn the contract, it unbinds. We burn it and he’s free to live out the rest of his human life.”

“But-” Calum began.

 _Monster._  “I’m not letting a guy like Michael throw his life away for a guy like me!” The devil snapped in reply, his fingers making indents to the wooden table from how harshly he was gripping it. Calum’s face softened but it didn’t make Luke feel any better, he didn’t think anything would until Michael was safe in the human world. Michael had barely visited his old life, he might as well be dead already; a captive in Hell.

A deal wasn’t supposed to be this difficult, it was supposed to be fun and interesting. New. It wasn’t supposed to make Luke feel this: anger, despair and guilt all rolled into one. Michael deserved a choice, he deserved to go up there to Heaven and live a boring, peaceful life with Raphael’s stupid welcome speech clogging his ear drums.

He deserved to be safe, and he wouldn’t be safe in Hell.

“It’s not fair, Luke-”

Calum was giving him a fucking  _migraine_ , “Shut up! I don’t care if it’s not fair, I gave you an order. Where’s the contact?” He growled, pushing back the urge to crush something.

_Monster. Monster. Monster._

Ashton spoke up from the doorway, he had been leaning against the arch the entire conversation in silence thus far, so when Ashton spoke up, Luke was slightly startled, “Mali should have put it with the others but it seems she hasn’t, so she probably has it. Or at least knows where it is,” Ashton spoke, eyes hidden with an emotion Lucifer couldn’t decipher.

“And where is Mali?” Luke questioned tightly.

“No one has heard from her in weeks-”

“Find her then. We have five months, Calum. How long can it take to find one lousy demon?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO HAPPY HALLOWEEN


	12. TWELVE

Michael hates being ignored, he’s been ignored his entire life and more than anything he hates being ignored from Luke.

It had been four days since Luke and Michael actually spoke and the pale human was starting to go a little crazy. Luke had been avoiding him and whenever Michael cornered him to say hi, the devil looked at the ground and made an excuse to leave.

Now whenever Michael saw a flash of Luke’s silhouette before he darted out of the room without another word, bile rose in his throat. He just wanted to  _talk_ to him about what it was specifically about Michael that was bothering him but Luke was infuriatingly stubborn.

After asking Ashton about it and receiving a noncommittal shrug, Michael had had enough. He was going to confront Luke about it. He didn’t care if his feelings got hurt when Luke said he didn’t want to be friends anymore, he needed Luke to say it out loud so he could actually move on with his life before he died.

As much as he could anyway, Michael already knew a life without Luke, without friends is kind of pointless and lonely. Which is why he made this deal.

 _Only took him a month to fuck it up_ , Michael thought bitterly.

The human with a hand over his face lazily made his way down the grand staircase, when he spotted Lucifer in the corner of his eye talking to Ashton. Michael froze and took Luke in: his whole slouched frame, his fatigued eyes and his unkempt hair which made Michael release a surprised little noise at how  _tired_ he looked.

Luke seemed to freeze this time, and his eyes darted to Michael anxiously before looking at the floor. Typical.

Ashton excused himself and Michael made his way over to Luke, leaving enough space for both of them to be comfortable. But despite the pang in his gut, the human couldn’t help but let out a smile towards Lucifer, “Hey, Luke.” He greeted, trying to keep things casual before unloading on him about all the fears Michael has had since Boxing Day.

Luke cleared his throat awkwardly, still refusing to look Michael in the eye, “Michael, hi. Uh, Calum told me you were going out with him today.” His voice sounded so sad, so lonely that it almost made the human do a double take.

The human shook his head at him, “No, I was going to chill here today.”

Luke’s jaw twitched and he released a dry laugh, “That bastard.”

Michael wanted to curl into a ball, he could see how uncomfortable Luke looked and it had never really hit the human just how bad his presence was to Lucifer. Michael felt small and rejected, and so fucking stupid.

He was always so stupid.

Luke cleared his throat and shifted to leave, blue eyes drooping with exhaustion and pain, “I have business, yeah-” he lied.

Michael let out a strangled noise, “I know why you’ve been avoiding me since Christmas.” He called to Luke before the devil ran out on him. The pale boy slowly approached him and swallowed the painful lump in his throat, “I get it, alright? And if you want some space I’ll give it to you. I want you to be happy. I guess we haven’t even known each other that long anyway.”

Some selfish, pathetic part of Michael wanted to be consoled; wanted to be proven wrong. Michael wanted Luke to hug him again like he had days before and tell him in that fond voice that Michael was being ridiculous, and it’s just some stupid devil business. But Michael’s hopes never come true, and if they do, it’s just a matter of time before it all slips through his fingertips.

Luke looked relieved, all the tension in his face released at Michael’s words, “Thanks,” He started, giving the human a watery smile, “I just. I can’t...” Luke trailed off and he closed his eyes, acknowledging the end of his sentence with a firm shake of his head.

“I’m sorry,” Michael replied sadly, arms wrapping around himself slightly. Maybe he shouldn’t have come down here, this whole awkward conversation could’ve been avoided.

Luke’s relieved face morphed into a confused one and he withdrew further away, “Why are you apologizing?” He asked with a baffled tone.

“For making you sign,” Michael was trying to keep his voice leveled but it wasn’t working as well as he would’ve liked, Luke seemed to be picking up on it too. “I should’ve just left you alone. You wouldn’t have to leave the house all the time because I’m forcing you to be my friend.”

Honestly, why did Michael think basically forcing someone to be his friend was a good idea? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Luke frowned and stepped closer to him, both of them now standing at their usual comfortable space, “Michael, no. That’s... that’s not the problem,” He swallowed, “I want to be your friend, we are friends.”

 _Yeah, right,_  Michael thought miserably and stayed quiet, directing his gaze to the floor.

“I’ve been having difficulties with myself concerning you.” Michael heard, but he still didn’t look up. Luke probably lied to people all the time, Luke hated Michael it was obvious, it was so obvious–

“I am worried that I might hurt you.”

Michael’s head snapped up immediately, and saw that Lucifer’s expression was terrified and guilty, he looked like a hurt kitten. And as much as Michael tried to hold it in because of Luke’s seriousness, the human couldn’t help but let out a bubble of laughter, “What?”

Luke’s frown deepened and he shifted his weight further from Michael, “It’s not funny.”

“No, I know.” Michael rushed out, “It’s just, I trust you wouldn’t hurt me.” He admitted, a nervous smile directed at Luke in an attempt to show honesty.

“We haven’t known each other long,” Luke mumbled.

“Sometimes you get a feel for someone. I don’t feel like you’re a threat to me, I know if you wanted to be you’re capable of it but... you wouldn’t. I trust you.”

Luke’s eyes brightened but his mouth stayed in a firm line, and his voice was quiet with a mixture of happiness and gloom releasing from his thin lips, “You have too much faith in me.”

“You have too little faith in yourself,” Michael shot back politely.

It was quiet for a moment but then Luke smiled smugly, “You’re wearing my socks.” He declared, and his eyebrows shot up slightly.

Michael blushed and mumbled quickly, “They’re warm.”

“Ashton said you would hate them because socks are boring.”

The human chuckled, “No way, I got socks knitted by the devil; I’m wearing them with pride.” He grinned proudly to back up his claim.

“Red is certainly your color.”

“I used to dye my hair red.”

Luke let out a noise Michael couldn’t quite identify and continued with a grin, “Yep, all the time. I stopped for a bit because I was worried I’d go bald by twenty six.”

The devil laughed in response, then after a moment pursed his lips anxiously and nudged his head in the direction of the ‘Gaming Room’ – Apparently Ashton named it – “Want to play Tekken 6?”

Michael let out a sigh of relief and smiled widely at him, “Yeah, love to.”

*

“For someone who’s been around since before time existed, you’re really bad at video games.”

Luke scowled at him and frantically pressed circle with his eyes as wide as saucers, “This game is stupid, you’re just fiddling with buttons.” He complained, but his mouth was betraying a small smile.

Michael laughed at his antics, “Luke, you kept cornering yourself. That’s why I won.”

The devil grumbled in response and glared at Michael fondly, shoving him gently in the shoulder. Michael stuck his tongue out and more than ever, the human was relieved that Luke didn’t actually hate him. Insecurity seemed to be a common factor in both of them unfortunately but they could build each other up, support them like friends should do.

“Calum, want to play? He’s making me feel old,” Luke said to the demon, who looked thoroughly exhausted when he entered the room but still had a smile on his face.

“You are old,” Michael teased.

Calum’s smile seemed to falter slightly after a few moments and he cleared his throat, “Lucifer, we have business. Regarding whom we talked about.”

Luke immediately shot up from the couch, “Duty calls,” He was about to dart out before he ruffled Michael’s hair with a grin, “Practice, you need it.”

The human responded with giving him the finger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ yeah i know this chapter has a lot of dialogue, maybe too much ooft and it's been just over a month since i posted but what can ya do ]


	13. THIRTEEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg i know it's been months and months i'm so sorry i cannot apologize enough but i'm back sis!! with content!! and new energy!! (also this chapter was kinda rushed eek)

Apparently Luke had a surprise for him. Michael had spent the entire morning receiving knowing looks from Ashton and cheeky smiles from Calum, the human began to feel a bit anxious in response. What the hell was Luke planning?

Michael knew that Lucifer was feeling guilty for ignoring him, and for the past few days Luke was praising Michael for the simplest things, he didn’t even flinch away if they accidentally touched anymore. The human grew tense about it, if Luke was pushing down his fears, his insecurities just to make Michael happy… he didn’t want it. He’d rather help Luke work through his problems - well as much as Luke would allow him to help - rather than deny it for Michael to be happy.

But when Michael asked Calum about it in passing, the demon snorted in response and left without saying anything.

Michael has gotten used to it.

Actually, he’s gotten used to a lot of things. He’s gotten used to sleeping in the green room, with Luke across on the other side. He’s gotten used to Ashton being grumpy all the time unless Calum’s in the room and he’s gotten used to being in Hell. He only goes to Earth on assignments with Ashton and Calum, whenever he slightly starts to feel nostalgic.

Michael’s gotten used to this routine, and he loves it. He originally wanted to be friends with Lucifer but now he has two more than he bargained for and he  _adores_ it. Michael finally feels wanted and he finally feels part of something and he hopes even when he dies, it won’t change. Michael hopes he’ll pass whatever ‘test’ is awaiting him when he dies and he’ll still be with Luke.

Then, one day. About a week and a half after Christmas, Luke wakes him up at the crack of dawn. Michael briefly wonders if it’s possible to kill the devil but the grogginess of his mind cloud any elaborate plans. He just wanted to sleep.

But Luke… Luke looked good in the morning. His hair is a little messy but the sunlight shines through his hair and it makes him look angelic, and Michael knows why his name in heaven was Lucifer Morningstar.

“Michael? You ready for your surprise?” Luke spoke softly, which the human was grateful for.

“No. It’s too early,” He grumbled, “It’s too early for any sort of brain activity other than sleep.”

Lucifer chuckled and pulled the blankets off Michael, and the human let out a squawk of protest as his body adjusted to the morning temperature.

“Get ready, you’ll like it I promise.”

 _He better. Or he’s keeping his soul, and there’s nothing Luke can do about it._ Michael thought grumpily, as he tiredly went to his draw of clothes and ushered the devil out so he could get changed.

The human grabbed a shirt exiting the room hurriedly, not wanting to keep Luke waiting. Unexpectedly, as the shirt was over his head he bumped into a hard body and fell down.

“Ow,” Michael complained, fixing his shirt.

“Hurry up, Mikey. Luke’s waiting and he’s excited to show you his surprise,” Calum gruffed out while grabbing Michael’s arm--gently--and yanked him off the floor and downstairs.

Luke was near the kitchen archway and chattering to Ashton excitedly about something Michael couldn’t quite wake up. And as soon as the human’s eyes met with the devil’s, Lucifer seemed to perk up even more by his large grin and rushed over to Michael’s side.

“What’s going on?” Michael asked, still fighting the grogginess of sleep/

Ashton just smirked and patted his shoulder, “Have fun, kiddo.”

Before Michael could make a retort how they kind of look the same age, Luke turned to him and asked seriously, “Do you trust me?”

“Uh, yeah.”

That seemed to be good enough for Luke. Michael remembers blinking and then opening his eyes and a huge whiff of saltwater entered his nose when he sniffed. Sydney. How did Michael know? A crowd of people swearing, wearing sandals and the sign that said ‘Luna Park in 500 metres’.

Michael furrowed his eyebrows and slowly moved closer to Luke, “What are we doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Luke grinned, “We’re going to an amusement park! And since you used to live in Sydney, I know you know about this one. Have you been here before?”

The human was opening and closing his mouth like a fish, “Uh, no.” He stammered, “Luke. This is incredible.”

Luke’s smile was wide, and had a slight pink tint on his cheeks, “I wasn’t sure about it at first. I don’t come to the human world, not for pleasure at least. But I wanted you to have a normal, fun day for once.”

Michael’s heart was soaring, he had never felt as closely connected with anyone as much as he felt to Luke. Again and again, Luke was proving to Michael that he was loved, which was something Michael had never been accustomed to.

They entered the large clown mouth and instantly Luke furrowed his eyebrows at his surroundings.

“What’s that? A prison?” Luke questioned, pointing to the Ferris wheel with his head slightly cocked to the side. Michael almost laughed until he saw Lucifer’s genuine curiosity.

“No, it’s a Ferris wheel.” He replied with a smile, “You ride it.”

Apparently that was even more confusing because Luke frowned deeply and said, “But there are bars.”

Before the human could explain how fragile humans are, a redheaded girl walked over to them and passed Luke a small piece of paper with a wink. Michael’s mouth fell open and he had a strange urge to cry in the corner.

“Hey… call me,” The redhead said seductively, looking into Luke’s eyes with a smile.

“Why would I call you?” Luke frowned, a mixture of confusion and uncomfortableness crossed onto his features. The blunt naiveness made the human choke back a laugh, especially when the girl had an affronted look on her face and stormed away.

Luke tossed the piece of paper in the trash with a scowl, “Humans are sensitive creatures for no reason.”

“She was pretty. I guess you could have let her down a little easier,” Michael said conversationally.

“I guess,” Luke shrugged, “All girls are pretty to me but I wouldn’t consider any of them romantically or sexually. They’re like flowers, they’re pretty and they smell nice but I wouldn’t pick them from the ground because I know someone else would like them more than I.”

“That’s a weird analogy for ‘I’m gay’.” Michael mused, but when they walked up the stairs, the human’s attention was immediately grasped by something else, “Luke! Let’s go in the haunted house!”

Luke chuckled and softly tapped Michael on the shoulder, “That is not haunted; It’s made out of cardboard.”

Michael ignored him and dragged Lucifer to the entrance, where they were stamped and shown in. Twenty seconds of Luke being silent as they turned dark corners and observed the weird fake props around them, a clown jumped out at them causing Michael to let out a tiny shout.

Luke wasn’t impressed, “You’re screaming? You’re friends with the devil and you scream at a clown?”

“Shut up, clowns are terrifying,” Michael muttered back.

Suddenly, a monster jumped out at them. His costume was looked like the inside of a human, all flesh and blood and he growled at Luke and Michael lowly. This time, the human jumped a little and smiled afterwards, planning to leave through the now visible exit but Luke had other plans.

Luke faced the actor and looked at him with the most smug stare the human had ever seen him do.“You call that a growl?” Luke asked, “Watch this.”

“Luke, no-”

Michael had to cover his ears as Lucifer effortlessly let out the most horrifying sound the human had ever heard in his life. He watched as the actor let out a ear-splitting scream and he fainted back into his cue marker.

He crouched down to the monster-human’s level and slapped him lightly to bring him back to consciousness. Michael snapped his head to Luke with rolled eyes, “Lucifer, he wet himself.”

“You’re never going to make it as a demon if you growl like a mouse. I was helping!” Luke protested.

*

“What is this? Wow.” Luke said in awe, running his hands over the small game.

“Whack-a-mole,” the human responded, slipping in a dollar and handing Luke the hammer.

“Michael!” Luke exclaimed in a panic once the game started, “What do I do?”

“Hit them! With the hammer!”

“They’re not standing still!” He cried in exasperation, frantically hitting all the holes as soon as the mole disappeared into them.

“ _You have scored zero points. Better luck next time!”_ The game said enthusiastically, signaling Lucifer’s defeat.

Without another word, Luke growled lowly and raised his fist. He brought it down before Michael could object and the entire game demolished once it came into contact with Luke’s power.

Michael winced as the scrap pieces flew everywhere, “Please don’t destroy all the games.”

Lucifer scowled and glared at the broken game, “That one was stupid.”

Even though by the end of the day, Luke had destroyed about five games and scared a few grown men into fleeing the park. It was undoubtedly one of the best days of Michael’s life, it was so good the human almost thought he had hallucinated it.

But by the end, he knew without a fact as he stared into Luke’s eyes before they traveled back to Hell, that this incessant crush was not going away anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> [ let me know what you think! ]


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